EU4Innovation East: Eastern Partnership start-ups take centre stage at VivaTech 2026 in Paris

Nine innovative start-ups from Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine showcased their solutions at the EU4Innovation East Pitch Contest during VivaTech 2026, one of Europe’s largest technology and start-up events. VivaTech 2026 took place in Paris, France, in mid-June.

Organised by the EU4Innovation East project, the competition highlighted the growing innovation potential of the Eastern Partnership region and its increasing integration into the European innovation ecosystem. The contest brought together founders, innovation experts, and ecosystem leaders to discover emerging technologies addressing global challenges across artificial intelligence, healthcare, cybersecurity, climate technology, industrial automation, education technology, and the circular economy.

The nine start-ups selected through national competitions and ecosystem partnerships were Denovo Sciences, MedPair, and TACTUN from Armenia; SELFTALK, LyricFluent, and Oto from Moldova; and SEC-TA, Z1RO, and Hydratico from Ukraine.

The jury awarded first place to Hydratico (Ukraine), a climate-tech start-up developing breakthrough supercavitation technology for energy-efficient desalination and industrial wastewater treatment. Second place was awarded to MedPair (Armenia), a healthtech platform improving patient-physician communication and clinical workflows. Third place went to Oto (Moldova), a digital solution helping hospitality businesses improve customer experience through QR-based ordering and multilingual digital menus.

In addition to the jury awards, Z1RO (Ukraine), a start-up producing sustainable moulded packaging from natural fibers, received the Audience Choice Award following a public vote.

The contest formed part of EU4Innovation East’s broader efforts to strengthen start-up ecosystems across the Eastern Partnership region by facilitating access to international networks, expertise, investors, and markets. During VivaTech, participating start-ups also benefited from networking opportunities, meetings with investors and ecosystem stakeholders, and exchanges with European policymakers and innovation leaders.

The EU4Innovation East project is funded by the European Union, co-funded by the French Government, and implemented by Expertise France.

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